Let's Get Started Garlic Bread

Here's the deal: we walk into Gabriella's in Red Bank and head straight to the bar. We know what we're going to order. Same drinks, same entrees. It's a rhythm. And rhythms don't include a basket of garlic bread that could sink a small boat.

But there it was on the menu — Let's Get Started Garlic Bread — practically daring us. Jennifer raised an eyebrow. I raised a fork. The carbs, we agreed, would be a problem for the version of us that walks out the door later. Present-us was ordering the bread.

The First Bite

The crust cracks. Actually cracks — like the kitchen knows the difference between garlic bread and buttered toast. Underneath: a pillow of warm, chewy interior soaked with garlic butter that has clearly been thought about. Not drenched. Thought about. There's parsley. There's salt in the right places. There's a whisper of parmesan doing quiet work in the background.

The Verdict

We looked at each other after bite two. No words. That look couples give each other when they've accidentally stumbled into something they're going to talk about in the car on the way home. We finished the basket. We considered a second. We showed restraint. Barely.

Is it worth the calories you weren't planning to eat? Absolutely. Would we do it again? We already have plans to.

Worth the cheat. Order it. Split it if you must. Just don't skip it.